Michelle Ellis, a sophomore exercise science major, commutes from Yorktown, Ind. In “nice weather,” she only needs 10 to 15 minutes to drive to campus. However, in winter weather, she needs at least 45 minutes in order to drive to campus and walk to class.
She said one of her biggest challenges is maintaining her responsibilities at home while being a student.
“I am still responsible for chores. … My sister lives close by and I have to babysit my nephew quite often,” Ellis said. “I have to cancel plans or not make it to an event because of responsibilities at home.”
Some of these events include library study sessions, although most of Ellis’ study groups are willing to cooperate with her.
Rebekah McGarvey, a freshman elementary education major, said she hasn’t been involved in study sessions so far, making her 20-minute commute less of a hassle. However, she does believe she has been hindered in the area of making friends.
“I don’t know if [not making friends] is explicitly connect to being a commuter, but, personally, I think it is,” she said.
Commuters have a specific program to help them adjust to Ball State. Created by the Freshman Connections program, Commuter Connections aims to bring commuter students together and encourage them to attend Ball State events on campus.
Olivia Horvath, a senior exercise science major, is a commuter ambassador. She said her job is “similar to a resident assistant.”
“It’s my job to get [commuters] to feel invested in Ball State,” Horvath said. “We don’t want students to treat [Ball State] like high school [where they] come to class and leave.”
There are around 300 commuting students at Ball State and four commuter ambassadors. Horvath is assigned 65 students to keep in touch with personally, but that doesn’t mean she can’t interact with others.
She and the other commuter ambassadors plan events for commuters to attend. They also get groups together to attend on-campus events.
“I feel like I’ve become more involved on campus because I take students to events I may not have gone to otherwise,” she said.
Although she commutes from Yorktown, Ellis said she feels connected to campus because she joined a sorority her freshman year. However, she often has to make several trips back and forth to campus to attend events, which costs her more gas money.
But both Ellis and McGarvey don’t mind being commuters. McGarvey said she needs her own space, and Ellis appreciates saving money on tuition.
“The dorms are just not a place I would enjoy living,” McGarvey said. “However, I do think it could have potentially helped me make a friend or two.”
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